Memorial Typhoon Pilot Donald Mason

Until the remains of the plane containing his remains were recovered in 1993, he was listed as missing. This find is a special story. In March 1993, the ‘Battle of Normandy Museum’ from Bayeux received a special tip-off from 70-year-old farmer Auguste Lemarous from Boulon. He told that a World War II plane wreckage was still lying on his land.

Some museum staff went to the scene to investigate and indeed found the wreckage of a Hawker Typhoon, which still contained the pilot's remains, the remains of his uniform, his boots, a pistol and a wallet. From the identity papers also found, it turned out to be 25-year-old Australian pilot Donald Mason, who had been missing since 18 June 1944.

He and five other Typhoons had taken off that day from Thorney Island airfield in southern England for an armed reconnaissance mission over Normandy. During this mission, they opened fire on a German convoy en route. Two of the Typhoons including Mason's were hit by anti-aircraft fire. The last anyone heard from Mason was that his aircraft was on fire and when he did not return it was assumed that he had crashed into the sea on the way back to England.

So it turned out otherwise. The farmer, Auguste Lemarous and his brother had seen the crash and knew that the remains of the plane containing the pilot's body lay in their weilland. However, they were convinced that this was the plane that had fired on their father half an hour before. The latter had been killed -together with a woman from Caen- and in their eyes, the pilot of the plane that crashed on their land was responsible for their father's death. For them, that was reason to do nothing and leave everything as it was.

In retrospect, experts believe that the pilots had mistaken the farmer's khaki-coloured car for a military vehicle. Apparently, Lamaroes did ask the local parish priest to pray for the pilot during his father's funeral.

In 1993, when the now 70-year-old Lamarous wanted to sell his land, he decided to reveal his long-kept secret. He informed the museum, and the pilot's wreckage and remains were found. According to an employee of the museum, he was relieved that the pilot could be properly buried after all.

Donald Mason is buried at St Charles de Percy War Cemetery in Normandy.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Patrick van der Kieft
• https://www.trouw.nl/voorpagina/spoken-uit-een-grijs-verleden~b6de62cf/{/url]